Reprieve
A discussion of research, controversy and silliness in the field of human evolution
MY BLOGS
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EvoAnth
http://evoanth.wordpress.com/
A discussion of the latest research into human origins.
LATEST ARTICLES ( 510 )
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Neanderthals Lived Further North Than We Thought
Neanderthals lived during one of the coldest periods in recent (pre)history. They thrived through a bitter ice age that saw much of northern Europe covered in... Read more
Posted on 04 October 2018 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE -
Climate Change Killed off Ancient Human Species
Climate change is something that (rightly) concerns us in the modern world. However, it's been dogging our family for millions of years, as new research suggest... Read more
Posted on 02 October 2018 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE -
Could Neanderthals Speak? Implications of FOXP2
FOXP2 is one of the most famous genes out there; notable for containing two mutations linked to language in humans. These mutations are also in Neanderthals,... Read more
Posted on 25 September 2018 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE -
Creationist Textbook is Rubbish, Says Creationist Study
I often complain about creationists, and about as equally often I hear back "why bother with them". Well, I bother because they're incredibly harmful to... Read more
Posted on 20 September 2018 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE -
Ancient Children Were More Ape-like Than Their Parents
Around 3 million years ago humans were basically just upright apes. Hence their name Australopithecus, which just means "southern ape". However, children from... Read more
Posted on 18 September 2018 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE -
Teamwork Makes Us Lazy and Slower at Learning
Teamwork is something humans do really well. In fact, it's our niche; it's what we evolved to do. Whilst whales got big tales to swim, we got big brains to... Read more
Posted on 13 September 2018 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE -
Humans Are Really Good at Using Tools with Our Elbows
Our hands are pretty good at using tools, probably because they've been adapting to do so for more than 3 million years 1. But it turns out they aren't the... Read more
Posted on 11 September 2018 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE -
Where Did Modern Humans Evolve? It’s Complicated
You've probably heard that modern humans evolved in Africa. This is true, but not the most useful answer. After all, Africa is a ruddy big place 1. So, can we b... Read more
Posted on 06 September 2018 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE -
Scientists Build 61,000-year-old Bow and Arrow
The invention of the bow and arrow was a big moment in our (pre)history. These sorts of projectile weapons may have even given us an advantage over other human... Read more
Posted on 04 September 2018 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE -
Chimps Like It Loud – Human Evolution News Update 14
After last weeks discovery of Denny, the Neanderthal/Denisovan hybrid, this week might seems like it's been a little slow in the human evolution news... Read more
Posted on 02 September 2018 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE -
Bones Suggest Neanderthal Clothing Worse Than Ours
Neanderthals were living in ice age Europe for thousands of years 1. Their body evolved to cope, and so did their technology. But Neanderthal clothing seems to... Read more
Posted on 30 August 2018 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE -
Neanderthal Hybrids – Human Evolution News Update #13
This weeks been a big one for human evolution, with the discovery of a first generation Neanderthal/Denisovan hybrid taking the internet by storm. But whilst... Read more
Posted on 25 August 2018 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE -
Neanderthal with Scoliosis Sheds Light on Healthcare
In 1908 an artist drew the classic "ape-like" Neanderthal. When published in the Illustrated London News the following year, it cemented their place in popular... Read more
Posted on 23 August 2018 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE -
Climate Drove Neanderthals to Evolve Like Monkeys
Neanderthals evolved further north than us humans. They had to deal with a colder climate at the best of times. At the worst of times, they were dealing with... Read more
Posted on 21 August 2018 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE -
Extinction of Moa Still Remembered by the Māori
When humans arrive in an area, a wave of extinction ( typically) follows. For the past 50,000 years, we've been mucking up the local environment as we spread ou... Read more
Posted on 16 August 2018 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE -
Did Going Hairless Help Our Brain Evolve?
Our brain is kind of a big deal, so we've been trying to figure out how it got so big for ages. But what if we've been looking at it wrong by focusing on the... Read more
Posted on 14 August 2018 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE -
Why Did Early Human Culture Remain Frozen?
Around 3 million years ago human culture took a great leap forward when our ancestors began manufacturing stone tools. This meant they could start cutting up an... Read more
Posted on 07 August 2018 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE -
Our Mouth Evolved Faster and Longer Than Any Other Primates
Over the course of human evolution, our diet changed dramatically. As a result of this, our mouth did too. So we now have the most distinctive jaws amongst the... Read more
Posted on 31 July 2018 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE -
The First Italians – Human Evolution News Update #12
Here are the top human evolution news stories of the past week, as voted on by my social media followers. To see the full set of news - or have your say on... Read more
Posted on 29 July 2018 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE -
Homo Naledi Brain Was Tiny Yet Modern
Homo naledi is the newest and most mysterious member of the human family, with a weird mixture of modern and archaic traits. And despite those ancient bits, it... Read more
Posted on 26 July 2018 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE